PS21 presents the U.S. premiere of Tiago Rodrigues’ ‘Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists’
Chatham, N.Y.— On Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 6th at 7 p.m., PS21 presents the U.S. premiere of National Theater of Portugal’s production of “Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists,” a Festival d’Avignon Production. The U.S. premiere follows sold-out runs in Europe and Montreal.
Truly a play for our current moment, the premise of this dystopian work is this: it’s 2028, and every year, a Portuguese family commemorates the 1954 murder of activist Catarina Eufémia at the hands of the Salazar dictatorship by kidnapping and killing a fascist. But this year, the young woman chosen to carry out the ritual refuses. The family’s credo is “Doing harm in order to practice good,” but the woman asks, “Can an act of violence lead to justice? What if the killing isn’t a form of protest, but merely a crime?”
Can theater rouse us from apathy and resignation, playwright Tiago Rodrigues is asking: can it inspire us to think about how to create a better society? Rodrigues is betting that it can, “The world of fiction, in which I still believe as a theater artist, allows certain things that aren’t possible in politics. Like this completely absurd and truly awful question, “Should the fascist be killed or not?” Only the theater can create a context in which that question exists.”
What better time to reflect on our own democratic institutions, whose future is in jeopardy as perhaps never before in our history, than July 4th weekend?
The performances are on Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 6th at 7 p.m. at PS21’s Pavilion Theater at 2980 Route 66 in Chatham, N.Y. It is in Portuguese with English supertitles. It includes strong, politically inflammatory language, violence, and loud sound effects, including gunshots. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents fortepiano pianist Daniel Adam Maltz
Lenox— On Thursday, July 4th at 5 p.m., Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents fortepiano pianist Daniel Adam Maltz.
Enjoy Haydn and Mozart’s piano works performed as they intended them to be heard. During the Classical era in Vienna, composers expected their keyboard music to entertain relatively small audiences in more intimate settings than today’s large concert halls. Additionally, the era’s pianos, known as “fortepianos,” are very different from modern Steinways.
Fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz, known as the “master of the Viennese fortepiano,” is based in Vienna and studied Historical Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at Vienna’s University for Music and Performing Arts. He performs on historic Viennese fortepianos, utilizing the vast range of tones, colors, and techniques familiar to Classical-era composers. He specializes in Wiener Klassik (Viennese Classicism,) especially the works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven performed on the Viennese fortepianos of their time. He is in demand worldwide with 50+ tour dates per year as a sought-after soloist, Lieder accompanist, and clinician. Daniel also hosts “Classical Cake,” the podcast about Viennese classical music and culture.
The performance is on Thursday, July 4th at 5 p.m. at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. Tickets are $75 and include access to the mansion. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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The Foundry presents Tipsy Carol’s ‘SHE-BANG!,’ an American folk and protest song sing-along
West Stockbridge— Tonight, Wednesday, July 3rd at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents Tipsy Carol’s ‘SHE-BANG!,’ an American folk and protest song sing-along.
Come add your voice to the fireworks singing standards like “Blowin’ in The Wind,” “Talkin’ bout a Revolution,” “We Shall Overcome,” “Little Brown Jug,” I Am Woman,” “Amazing Grace,” “You Are My Sunshine,” and more.
For those who haven’t seen Tipsy, she is one of the top cabaret singers of all time! Liza says of her “Tipsy put the easy in speakeasy,” and the New York Guardian says: “Ms. MacBoozle’s voice brings out the clubs in nightclubs.” As always Tipsy will provide lyric sheets for the songs, shenanigans, multiple costume changes, and fleeting moments of heart.
The sing-along is tonight, Wednesday, July 3rd at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry at 2 Harris Street in West Stockbridge. The doors open at 7 p.m. The Foundry is debuting its new Fourth of July signature cocktail, The Red White and Blue MacBoozle. Tickets are $20. Tickets and more information can be found online. Parking is limited at the venue so please utilize the three public parking lots.
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Clark Art Institute offers free admission on Fourth of July
Williamstown— On Thursday, July 4th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Clark Art Institute offers free admission for all.
This special offering honors the tenth anniversary of the Clark’s grand reopening following the completion of its 2014 campus expansion project and the opening of its Clark Center, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando.
To accompany your visit, at 11 a.m., join the fun of Williamstown’s Annual Hometown Parade as it heads down Spring Street, followed by a live concert by Brass-O-Mania on the steps of the Williamstown Post Office. That evening, there will be a fireworks celebration at the Taconic Golf Club.
The Clark offers free admission on Thursday, July 4th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information can be found online.
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Celebrate our nation’s birthday with a pizza party and lobster rolls at Gedney Farm with Chef Michele
New Marlborough— On Friday, July 6th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Celebrate our nation’s birthday with a pizza party and lobster rolls at Gedney Farm with Chef Michele.
They will be serving pizzas, Chef Michele’s famous lobster rolls, salads, and desserts along with some fun pairings of natural wine.
The party is on Friday, July 6th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Gedney Farm at 34 Hartsville-New Marlborough Road in New Marlborough. Reservations are recommended by calling 413-229-3131. More information can be found online.
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Pittsfield Community Television and WTBR-FM to produce coverage of the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade
Pittsfield— Pittsfield Community Television and WTBR-FM are proud to once again produce coverage of the Pittsfield 4th Of July Parade.
The video parade coverage will begin with a pre-show at 9:30 a.m., featuring entertainment and welcomes from city officials. Coverage of the Parade itself follows immediately after at 10 a.m. Both programs will once again be hosted by Berkshire Community College’s Becky Manship and Pittsfield Community Television’s Bob Heck.
Cable television viewers can find the programming on PCTV’s Access Pittsfield (on Local Cable Channel 1301 in Pittsfield, Richmond and Dalton,) Community Television for the Southern Berkshires (which serves the communities of Lee, Lenox, Great Barrington, Stockbridge and Sheffield,) and Northern Berkshire Community Television (which serves the communities of North Adams, Adams, Clarksburg and Cheshire.)
For anyone unable to watch the programming on cable, video streaming will be available through PCTV Select Live at PittsfieldTV.org, via the PCTV Select app downloadable on most major smart devices, PittsfieldParade.com, and via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/PittsfieldTV, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/OnlyOnPCTV.
Live radio coverage of the Parade will be available on WTBR-FM, Pittsfield Community Radio, broadcasting at 89.7 FM and streaming at WTBRFM.com. The radio coverage will be simultaneous but separate to provide a unique audio experience for listeners unable to view the Parade in person or via video. Live radio coverage begins at 10 a.m., and will be hosted by Berkshire Weeks’ Ellen Spear and the City of Pittsfield’s Madelyn Brown.
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BRTA announces no bus service for fourth of July
Berkshire— The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority will be closed, and regular bus service will not be provided on Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. Fixed route service will resume Friday, July 5th. The BRTA Administrative Office at One Columbus Avenue will also be closed and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 5th.
Specific schedule and/or route information may be obtained by calling the operations department at 1-800-292-BRTA, ext. 1.
